


Is One Of Your Agents Missing?

by Jacie



Series: NCIS: Alpha Series [9]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Kidnapping, M/M, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-21
Updated: 2010-01-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 12:02:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie/pseuds/Jacie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is kidnapped, Gibbs is frustrated as the team searches for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is One Of Your Agents Missing?

Gibbs strode quickly from the elevator, sipping at his coffee. As he neared his area of the squad room, his eyes glance around his agents’ desk. Ziva looked up, smiled and greeted him. He nodded in response. Once he heard Ziva, McGee looked up from his computer, smiled and greeted Gibbs as well. Tony’s desk sat empty. 

No matter how many times he sees Tony’s empty desk, his stomach still drops. It doesn’t matter if Tony’s just gone for food or to the restroom, every time Gibbs sees that empty desk, the empty chair, he flashes back to when Tony was quarantined at the hospital, the phantom of death surrounding him. Shaking his head doesn’t rid him of the image.

“Where’s DiNozzo?” he asked loudly, hoping he sounded more pissed than scared.

“He hasn’t come in yet, Boss,” McGee replied.

“Did he call?”

Both Ziva and McGee shook their heads.

“McGee, call his cell. Ziva call his house. Tell him, if he can’t be bothered to get here on time, maybe it’s time I found a replacement who can.”

To emphasize his point, Gibbs took a long drink from his cup, then slammed it onto his desk as he sat, ready to work. Flipping through a stack of files on his desk, he focused on listening to the calls his team were making. Not pleased when it was obvious they were both leaving messages.

“He probably stopped for breakfast and lost track of time. You know how pretty girls have that affect on him,” McGee suggested.

Gibbs glared in his direction. He didn’t like imagining Tony flirting with anyone any more than he liked thinking about Tony being seriously ill or dying.

Two hours dragged by with Gibbs feeling every moment of it. Still no word from Tony. His eyes focused on Ziva, then McGee, both busy at their tasks. Neither one looked too concerned about Tony’s absence. Licking his lips, Gibbs straightened up in his chair and cleared his throat. “McGee, put a BOLO out on DiNozzo’s car.”

McGee nodded and searched for the data. Before he had finished entering the BOLO, Gibbs’ phone rang.

“Gibbs.”

“We have to talk.”

“Fornell?”

“I’m at a crime scene. Bring your team.”

“What’s going on?”

“The police responded to three nine-one-one calls this morning. All about an abduction. They called the FBI when they ran the plates on the abductee’s car and found it belonged to a Federal Agent.”

“DiNozzo?”

“Yes. According to the eyewitness’ accounts, the man abducted matches DiNozzo’s description, too.”

“I’ll bring photos. Where can I meet you?”

After hanging up the phone, Gibbs had to stop for a moment and take a deep breath, willing back the tears that were trying to form. Another deep breath and he looked up at McGee. “Print off a dozen copies of DiNozzo’s file photo. We’re heading out.”

“Fornell called?”

“Yeah.” Gibbs didn’t offer any additional information as he grabbed his gun, badge and jacket. “We’re taking the car.”

In the back seat, McGee braced himself the best that he could. Gibbs seemed to be driving with blind determination. Even though McGee secretly wished his boss would slow down, he never verbalized his concern, knowing it would only encourage Gibbs to drive even faster. The tires screeched to a halt as they arrived. 

Gibbs’ eyes seemed frantic as they took in the scene. He was looking for answers, but was finding none. 

Fornell approached the team, taking Gibbs by the arm, leading them back to the NCIS car.

“You called us down here, Tobias,” Gibbs said as he wrenched his arm free.

“I did. I want to fill you in, but I prefer do it in the privacy of your car, rather than on the street where anyone can hear. Is that okay with you?”

Gibbs nodded as he returned to the car. “Yes, I wasn’t thinking.”

Fornell turned to McGee. “Are those the photos of Tony?”

“Yes, sir,” he acknowledged as he handed the stack of pictures to Fornell. 

“Just wait in your car, I will be right back to brief you.”

The team watched as Fornell handed the photos to one of his agents along with a few words before he returned to the NCIS car. They’d left the front passenger seat open for him.

Fornell looked into their eyes and saw their concern for their teammate. There was something more in Gibbs’ eyes. Taking a moment, Fornell tried to read him. Perhaps anger, possessiveness. Fornell knew Gibbs didn’t like anyone messing with any of his people, especially Anthony DiNozzo. He always took such things more personally than Fornell thought he should. Loyalty was one thing Leroy Jethro Gibbs never ran short of.

“Are you going to tell us what happened?” Gibbs already sounded pissed off.

“I will tell you what I know. Three nine-one-one calls came in this morning dealing with an alleged abduction. One caller is a retired teacher, a man in his sixties, he was buying a paper at the corner. Another was from a secretary in her thirties, she was just stepping out of the dry cleaners over there. The other witness is a twenty year old female college student. She probably had the best view. She was sitting at the window in the coffee shop, studying. She’s the most traumatized of the bunch, her story seems to vary the most.”

McGee was leaning forward, listening intently. “She’s probably never seen anything like this. Young, idealistic, and probably very freaked out by what she saw.”

Fornell nodded. “Definitely. They all described a similar abduction. A white van pulled up beside a Mustang, DiNozzo’s car. It stopped. The man who had gotten out of the Mustang had only taken two or three steps onto the sidewalk when men jumped out of the van and grabbed him. Depending on which witness you believe, there were somewhere between three and five men from the van. The witnesses all saw a struggle. They all say the victim trying to free himself, then seemed to suddenly go limp.”

Gibbs licked his lips and swallowed. One hand grasped the steering wheel, white knuckles showing. “Drugged?”

“The retired teacher thinks he saw a stun gun. The men forced the victim into the van and sped off.”

“Could anyone ID the van?” asked Gibbs.

“Two say Ford and gave partial plates. One said a service van, one said delivery van and the student just said there was writing on it. We have a BOLO out with a description and the partial plates. Also checking for any vans reported stolen yesterday or today. They were good Jethro. This was planned.”

“You think DiNozzo was targeted?”

“Yeah.”

“Why take him here? Why not at his apartment? Somewhere less crowded. They had to know they’d be seen here.” Gibbs rubbed his hand over his chin as he thought about the situation.

“That’s why I’d bet on the van turning up stolen. If not a stolen van, then at least stolen plates. They had their route planned. They have highway access half a mile from here. Easier to get out of this district than where Tony lives.”

Gibbs nodded. “Anything else?”

Fornell pulled two evidence bags from his pocket. “The victim dropped these in the scuffle.”

Gibbs took the bags, inspecting the contents. “DiNozzo’s keys and cell phone.”

“We fingerprinted them, but I would bet all the prints are Tony’s. We’re willing to share jurisdiction on this one, Jethro. I know we all want this resolved as quickly as possible. I thought you might want to have his car towed to NCIS. The FBI is willing to sign over the car, keys and cell to you for investigative purposes.”

“Thank you, Tobias.”

Fornell opened the door, climbing out of the sedan. “We work closely on this one. I have my best men on this. The police have offered their full cooperation. They’ve brought in extra personnel to search for the van. We’re going to find him, Jethro.”

Gibbs nodded, still staring at the cell phone and keys contained in the plastic bags he held. “McGee, go with Fornell and sign for these.”

“On it, Boss.”

“Ziva, call HQ and have them send the flatbed out for Tony’s car. Take the keys and wait here for the tow truck.”

“I will take care of it,” she said, stepping out of the car, just as McGee returned.

As McGee was getting settled in the front seat, Gibbs tossed the remaining evidence bag to him. “Ziva has the keys. She’ll get the car towed back to the evidence lock-up. The cell phone is yours.”

Neither spoke as Gibbs raced back to the NCIS building.

***

Tony felt groggy. From the sounds and vibrations, he could tell he was still in a moving vehicle. His wrists and ankles had been bound and something was over his face, cloth. He couldn’t see anything. Although there was some air getting through, he found breathing quite difficult. His mouth had been duct taped, preventing him from communicating with his captors.

There were muffled voices surrounding him, but the roll of the vehicle jumbled the sounds into an unintelligible mess. Taking a chance, he squirmed, trying to break his bonds, but only drew their attention and a kick to his gut.

“Stay still,” a voice commanded loudly.

Tony silently cursed himself for not having breakfast at home that morning. He had been headed to his dry cleaners and had planned to pick up some donuts and coffee on the way to the office. His stomach grumbled, reminding him it was long past breakfast time. His mind strayed to NCIS, where he wondered if they were concerned about him yet. Had they even noticed he was missing? 

It wasn’t much longer before they stopped. Tony listened, hearing doors open and close. Fresh air seemed to come into the vehicle, swirling around him and making it a little easier to breathe for a few moments. Something large was hefted in beside him and a moment later he felt several pairs of hands on him, lifting him up and pushing him down into a cramped container.

Despite his struggling, they forced him down and pressed a lid over him. Next he felt the sensation of the container he was in being slid toward the back of the vehicle, then manually lifted and carried. After a few steps he was hoisted up higher and pushed along the bottom of another vehicle. From the sensations he felt and the difference in the air around him, he imagined he had been moved from the van to the bed of a pickup truck. He heard straps being tightened in place, then some sort of tarp or cover being pulled across the container, blocking the sweet fresh air that was allowing him to breathe more easily. Then they were on the move again.

***

“Jethro, they found the van,” Fornell said into his cell phone.

Gibbs stood at his desk, his voice louder than he intended, causing several heads to turn. “Where?”

“At an abandoned warehouse. It’s not far from the abduction. Just a few blocks. They changed vehicles before they ever hit the highway.”

“Any prints?”

“Wiped clean.”

“Any witnesses?”

“We’re canvassing the area. Nothing yet.”

“Damn it, Fornell!”

“I know, Jethro. I know.”

Gibbs hung up his phone and turned to McGee. “Tony’s cell. Find anything useful?”

McGee shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary. All the numbers are to NCIS, co-workers, known friends or businesses or were case related.”

He thought about heading down to the garage where Abby was going over Tony’s car, but he already knew she wouldn’t find anything. If Tony had known he was being tailed, he would more prepared to escape them. He would have called for backup if he was concerned. Tony never knew anything was going down until after he left his car.

Gibbs returned to his desk, pounding a fist on the top of it before staring out the window. “I hate sitting here not doing anything.”

McGee wasn’t sure if Gibbs wanted a response or if he was talking to himself when he made the comment. Turning his attention back to his monitor, he checked again to see if there were any hits on the BOLO issued for Tony himself. Nothing.

***

The ride in the pickup truck lasted long enough that Tony had drifted to sleep for several minutes. Tony awoke when he heard the crunch of leaves and gravel as they slowed, then stopped. There seemed to be fewer people around. Maybe two, maybe three. It seemed like there were five or six before. He listened as best as he could, attempting to glean any information that may be helpful in the future. He knew he’d get out of this somehow. He had to, or he would never see Gibbs again, would never feel the touch of his hand. That was unacceptable.

The sound of snaps came next, Tony thought it must be a snap-down covering for the bed of the pickup truck. He heard straps being loosened, then the crate he was in was scooted toward the back of the truck. He felt himself and the crate being lifted up and carried. When the men stopped, Tony felt himself being lowered, then heard the sound of a door opening before he was hoisted upward once more. Next, he felt like they were going downward and once again, the crate was lowered onto a solid surface.

He heard movement outside of the crate and scrambled words drifting by him, still too muffled for him to decipher what was being said. Then finally the lid of the crate was being opened and someone was grabbing Tony’s arm, pulling him out. He tried to get his feet beneath him, but his position was awkward and his ankles were still tied.

“Lift him out,” spoke an impatient voice. “Take him out and put him in the chair. And search him. Search him first.”

“I thought you already took his gun.”

“I did. Get his ID, his wallet, see if he’s carrying any other weapons.”

Tony felt hands searching his body, digging into his pockets, rolling him over as they searched. He felt someone take his wallet, his ID, his badge and the pocket knife he carried from his pockets. He prayed they wouldn’t find the knife hidden in his belt. It had come in useful more than once.

“RD, take his ID and his wallet, box them with the note and send them back to NCIS. We’ll see how badly they want this one back.”

Tony listened as one of the men headed up the staircase. Then he felt himself being lifted again, a man at each arm. He was lowered onto a chair.

“Strap him down,” he heard the leader say. Or at least Tony suspected the man was the one giving the orders.

Rope wrapped around his waist, pulling tightly as it was tied behind him. Finally he felt the hood being lifted off and he could breathe more easily. Next, the duct tape was ripped from his mouth. Bright lights were pointed directly into his eyes, preventing him from seeing anything except the blinding glare. He blinked his eyes and squinted.

“NCIS does not negotiate,” he said, trying to sound strong and confident.

“We’ll see. While you are our guest here, we need some information from you.”

Tony listened, he heard the man pacing around behind him. “I can’t tell you anything.”

“If you provide the correct answers, we just might let you go. It’s not you we’re after, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. You were just easier to find.”

“Who are you looking for?”

“Doctor Jeanne Benoit.”

Tony chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know where she is.”

“Really? The only woman you ever loved? Once the FBI located her and brought her back to NCIS, do you expect me to believe that you didn’t keep tabs on her?”

“Why would I? She was ready to send me to jail for the rest of my life. Her false testimony could have put me away.”

“You broke her heart, left her angry.”

“Her last words to me were that she was sorry we’d ever met. She wants nothing to do with me. I had to respect that. I let her go. I don’t know where she is.”

“And if you did?”

“I sure as hell wouldn’t tell you.”

***

One of the newer agents timidly stopped at Gibbs’ desk. “A courier dropped this off for you. They asked me to bring it upstairs,” she said, handing the small box over.

Gibbs said nothing as he took the box from her. There was no return address. Following his gut feeling he put on a pair of gloves before handling the box further. Taking a moment, he held his breath and pressed his ear against the package, listening for any electronics that may be present. He heard none and proceeded to carefully open the package.

Once he had the end opened, he tilted the box up until the contents dropped onto his desk: Tony’s wallet, his NCIS badge and ID and a typewritten note.

McGee stepped across the short distance between their desks. “Is this about Tony?”

Gibbs remained silent, but handed the note to McGee.

_“Please excuse Anthony DiNozzo from work until further notice. We have your agent, Gibbs. What is he worth to you?”_

“Boss?”

“Take everything to Abby.”

***

Tony did his best to avoid answering any questions that were posed to him. His captors paced around him. The one he considered the leader did most of the talking.

“I don’t know where she is,” Tony repeated. He’d lost count on how many times he’d been asked the same question. “Why do you want her anyway? Her father is dead. She never knew about his dealings.”

“She’s an heir. He left things to his children. Keys, vaults, money, connections.”

“She didn’t want those things from him.”

“But maybe we do. So you see our dilemma? How can we find her? Surely you two spoke of places you’d like to visit, perhaps even where you’d like to live?”

“I don’t know where she is and I don’t know how to find her. We split. She left. She doesn’t want anything to do with me. I don’t want to hurt her any more than I already have.”

The lead captor nodded to the other two. Tony watched as they moved in closer and braced for what he suspected was coming. The first punch landed against his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. Another punch landed on his jaw, then another to his stomach and one to the back of his head. At first he fought against his restraints, but as time wore on, he lost his strength to fight.

When the beating stopped, the lead captor approached him again, threading his fingers through Tony’s hair before pulling his head up. “I don’t think you have earned lunch today. I’ll be back later. Who knows? If you give answers I like later on, I may allow you to have dinner.”

Tony halfheartedly struggled against his bonds as the lights were flipped off and the trio walked back up the stairs. He heard the wooden door slam shut above him and something placed on top of it. Left alone in the dark, he continued to struggle as long as his strength held out. Between the pain from the beating and the discomfort of the chair and the bindings Tony couldn’t sleep. His stomach grumbled as he sat in the dark wondering how long it would be before Gibbs found him.

***

Gibbs made his way down to Abby’s lab. His hands shoved deeply into his pockets. “Abby, please tell me you have something.”

“Oh, Gibbs,” she said as she hugged him. “Tell me we’re going to find him!”

“Yeah, Abs. We’re going to find him. Did you get anything from his ID or the box? Anything?”

“The only prints I found on the ID and wallet were Tony’s. There are other prints on the outside of the package. Those prints were matched to two NCIS agents, as well as you and one John Friedman, who is the driver who dropped the package off.”

“Can the courier service tell us who shipped it?”

“Not really. A man went into one of those places where you can rent mailboxes and asked if they could pay them to courier it. He paid cash.”

“Surveillance tapes?”

“Sorry, Gibbs. They don’t have security cameras there.”

“Who doesn’t have security cameras in this day and age?”

“How about footage from the traffic cameras?”

“What would that tell us? We know the van was stolen. We know DiNozzo was alone in his car.”

“What if it showed the driver’s face?”

“I’ll get the footage,” Gibbs promised as he kissed her cheek.

After going out for coffee, Gibbs returned to the squad room and stood at the window, staring out across the landscape for Washington DC. “Where the hell are you, DiNozzo?”

***

Tony’s captors returned to the cellar in the afternoon. He heard the banging on the wooden door just before it swung open. Then footsteps and the lights flashing on brightly.

“Special Agent DiNozzo, we were all wondering if you had a change of heart. Are you ready to tell us what you know?”

“I don’t know where she is. I can’t help you find her.”

“You were her lover?”

“Yes.”

“You met her family? Her parents?”

“Yes.”

“And you know where she went after she left? After you told her that you were a Federal Agent assigned to get close to her father?”

“She left and didn’t tell me where she was going.”

“Not then. But when she returned to the states ready to testify that you killed her father, then you found out.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I heard she was working in a small village. I never checked out the truth of that.”

“Do you know what she got in the will?”

“No, I do not. I was out of the picture by then.”

“If she inherited a lot of money from her father, do you think she would still practice medicine?”

“How should I know?”

“Because you were ready to settle down with her. Weren’t you? You met both of her parents. You said so yourself.”

“She never met mine.”

“She was more serious than you?”

“Apparently.”

“Let him up,” his captor said to the other two. “Let him up and bring him some dinner. See, DiNozzo? We are not all that bad when you cooperate.”

Tony flashed a fake smile and nodded. He still felt the pain from his earlier beating. The pair of captors unhooked the strap from around his waist and cut away the duct tape binding his ankles together. Without a word, they led him over to a wall and tugged at a thick chain lying there. One end was bolted to the wall and the other was wrapped around one of Tony’s ankles and secured with a padlock. 

RD pointed at a pail on the floor. “You can use that. There’s water over there for drinking or washing up.”

Tony eyed the row of gallon jugs and nodded. As the pair began climbing the stairs, Tony stood up and began walking after them, testing the length and strength of the chain. “Hey!” he yelled when the chain stopped him. “Hey! Please, my hands. I can’t get to the water with my hands behind my back. Can you tie them in front? Please?”

The men looked at each other for a moment, discussing what Tony had pointed out. He had no way of opening the water jugs or pouring them with his hands bound behind his back. No way to properly relieve himself either. One of the men returned to Tony and untied the rope that bound his wrists. He held firmly onto one of Tony’s wrists as he brought it in front.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Special Agent. I’d hate to have to kill you on your first day with us.”

Tony calculated his odds. They weren’t good. Even if he took this guy out, there was another one on the stairs he couldn’t reach and the lead captor who was out of sight, probably in the building above him. Tony didn’t move. He stood still and let his captor bring his wrists together, binding them in the front with zip ties. At least it was something. As soon as the other two had left, Tony headed to the pail to relieve himself, then he felt along the wall in the darkness until he found a jug of water. With the jug held between his bound hands, he managed to unscrew the lid, tip back the jug and drink deeply.

***

“The CIA is joining in on this one.” Fornell sounded tired on the other end of the phone. Gibbs appreciated the effort he was putting in to the case.

“Why?”

“Searching for intel on this, Jethro. Definitely pros. Definitely planned. Abby come up with anything?”

“Not yet. We’re pulling video from the traffic cameras.”

“Let me know if you find anything, okay?”

“Will do.” Gibbs barely choked out the words.

“We’re going to find him,” Fornell promised once again.

Gibbs nodded silently as he hung up his phone. His eyes fell across Tony’s desk as his mind tried to figure out who would have taken Tony from him and why.

***

Tony was completely famished by the time his captors brought food to him. Only one captor ventured down the aged wooden steps to drop off a plate containing a bologna sandwich with lettuce and mayonnaise, a handful of potato chips, a can of coke and a couple chocolate chip cookies.

Tony watched as the food was left on the floor a few feet from him. He made no move toward it as he watched his captor watching him. He needed time to think and plan. It would take time before he figured out the routine and any possible weakness, any opportunity for escape.

As he sat, his back leaning against a damp wall in the cellar, Tony asked softly, “Can I have a light? Anything. A nightlight. I can’t see with no light. I don’t want to tip the pail over. I can’t even see to eat. Please.”

While his captor was with him, natural light came in through the open cellar door. The light was fading into the darkening of early evening. The captor nodded and replied, “I’ll have to ask Jay. His call.”

“Thank you,” Tony managed as he took in his captor. Once he was free, he wanted to get these guys, so he studied them. He hadn’t been able to get a good look at their faces as they’d so far been masked either by near darkness or by the blinding light they aimed at his eyes when he was questioned. Instead, Tony took in their physical aspects, the way they stood and moved, the way they spoke. He made mental notes of everything he could, not knowing what would prompt an eventual identification. He now knew at least the initials or nicknames of two of them: RD and Jay.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. Tony remained seated, his back against the wall as he watched RD and the other captor, not Jay, the leader, as they ran an extension cord down their stairs. At the end was a dim nightlight. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

“Thank you,” Tony said as he watched them climb the stairs to leave. As much as he wanted to struggle and fight, he thought it was best not to challenge his captors at this point. Not until he thought he had a real chance to escape or hurt one of them. He knew he had to be patient and wait for his opportunity.

***

The next morning, McGee came in early only to find that Gibbs had apparently spent the night. Guilt tugged at his heart as he found Gibbs sitting at Tony’s desk, holding one of Tony’s shirts in his arms like a security blanket. Before Gibbs woke up, McGee quietly dropped his things at his desk, then went out for coffee, knowing Gibbs would need it when he awoke.

A few minutes later, McGee returned and placed a steaming cup in front of Gibbs. It wasn’t long before the aroma woke him. 

“Morning, Boss,” McGee ventured. “I should have stayed with you.”

Gibbs waved off his comment as he reached for the coffee and took a long, satisfying gulp. “Thanks, Tim.”

“Any news?”

Gibbs shook his head. “I thought I’d try going through Tony’s files. I was hoping something would stand out,” he said, rubbing his hands across his face in hopes it would relieve the tiredness he felt.

“Find anything?”

“Nope.”

McGee watched his boss, his eyes staring ahead, not really focusing on anything. It wasn’t like Gibbs to lose focus.

“They’re not perfect, boss. They’re going to slip up. We’re going to find him.”

“When Abby gets in, I want you to help her go through the video from the traffic cameras.”

Tim nodded. He tried to exude confidence as he spoke. “I’m on it, Boss.”

***

Tony learned that the youngest of his captors went by ‘Ace’. The routine, such as it was, consisted of random interrogation sessions, occasional beatings, scant meals from time to time and a lot of darkness and solitude. Tony could feel his strength beginning to ebb away. He knew he had to make a move soon, before he became too weak.

Sitting in the near darkness with little else to do, Tony learned to listen. He could hear his captors walking about above him. At times he could hear voices murmuring, even though he couldn’t make out the words. More importantly, he learned to listen for the slow scrape of the screen door across the wooden porch, the squeaking of the hinges and the banging of the door against the doorframe as it closed. When he heard that, he knew to listen to the beam being removed from the cellar door and the inevitable sound of footsteps bringing his captors to him once again.

Not wanting to wallow in quiet desperation, Tony spent his time watching and waiting for any opportunity to present itself. He took inventory of what he had with him in the cellar and carefully thought out any way to use what he had to make an escape. He knew they were looking for him, but he couldn’t just sit still any longer just waiting.

It didn’t take long for him to lose track of time. His captors seemed to come down to him at random times, sometimes to feed him or dump out his pail and make sure he had plenty of water. Other times they came down asking more questions about various cases his team was working on. They were wearing him down mentally by not allowing him to sleep much. With three captors working together, they never left Tony alone long enough to get much sleep.

One time he managed to doze off, then was suddenly awakened by gunfire. He listened as the rounds went off, wondering if this was it for him. He didn’t have to wait long until Jay and Ace came down into the cellar, turning on the bright lights and tying him to the chair once again. Jay walked over to Tony, placing the muzzle of a gun to his temple. Tony braced, waiting for the shot.

“Let’s talk about some of the drug cases your team investigated,” Jay said.

“I don’t remember.” It was Tony’s automatic reaction. Their interrogation sessions usually started out the same.

“Try again, Special Agent. Or do we need to jog your memory again?” Jay asked. For a moment, he pulled the gun away and smacked Tony across the face before bringing the gun back to his temple. Jay nudged the end of the gun harder against Tony’s skin, close enough that he could smell the burning odor of a recently fired weapon. 

“Any particular case you’re interested in?”

The minutes dragged out for Tony during these sessions. They seemed to go on for hours, although he had no way of telling. This was the first time they’d brought a gun down. Tony didn’t feel intimidated by it. He knew his job held risks. He knew that any day could be his last. Closing his eyes, he thought about Leroy Jethro Gibbs and wondered where he was and what he was doing.

This time Jay hit him with the gun, smacking him in the back of his head, leaving Tony dazed. “Don’t go drifting away on us Tony. We’re not done yet. Let’s talk some more about the case involving Staff Sergeant Barrett again.”

As the interrogation dragged on, Tony felt himself tiring. The moment he found it difficult to hold his head up, Jay would strike him again. It never took long for blood to seep from his wounds. He could taste the blood from his lips even as he tried to wipe it onto his jacket. 

At the end of this particular session, Jay pressed the muzzle against Tony’s skin and pulled the trigger. Tony braced for the shot, but the gun was empty. He heard Jay laughing as he pulled the gun away. Opening his eyes, Tony caught a glimpse of Jay’s gloved hand as he handed the weapon over to Ace, placing it into a box Ace was holding.

“Cut him,” Jay said as he turned to leave.

A moment later RD came down the stairs as Ace was standing over Tony with a large hunting knife, trying to decide where to slice his skin. Tony could see the light glint off of the blade as Ace held it.

“Just prick the end of his finger,” RD said. 

“Will we get enough blood that way?”

RD shrugged as he stepped closer, grasping Tony’s hand. “One way to find out.”

Tony struggled against the two men, until they released him from the chair and RD held him down against the dirt floor, pressing weight onto Tony’s outstretched hand. “Hurry up, Ace.”

Ace maneuvered himself and sliced along the tip of one of Tony’s fingers. After making the cut, he held Tony’s hand over the box, squeezing blood out of the wound. When that wasn’t enough for him, he cut along a second fingertip. By that time, Tony was losing his strength and stopped fighting against them.

***

Gibbs watched as McGee approached his desk. “Anything?” he asked.

McGee grabbed the remote and brought an image onto the plasma screen. “That’s the van they used when they grabbed Tony. They all appear to be wearing sunglasses and caps, blue jeans and light oxford shirts. Abby did her best to enhance the driver’s face, but we have no matches yet.”

Standing up, Gibbs slammed his hands against his desk and wished he had a fresh cup of coffee to turn to. “So we still have nothing?”

“We followed the van on the traffic cameras headed toward the warehouse where it was abandoned. We checked the cars and vans leaving that area.” McGee paused as he brought up a different image. “We checked all the plates we saw on the clip. This passenger van was reported stolen. It was found later a few miles away.”

“Don’t tell me. No prints.”

“Yeah, wiped clean. Boss, we’re going to find him.”

“I know, McGee. I know.”

The pair turned as Ziva approached followed by an armed guard holding a box and a young man in a courier’s uniform. “You have another package, Gibbs. This one was also sent via a courier. This is the driver.”

Gibbs reached grabbed a pair of gloves from his desk and reached for the package.

“They sent it through the X-ray machine downstairs,” Ziva informed him. “It contains a gun.”

Gibbs froze for a moment, then took the package from the guard. “Ziva, McGee, question the courier driver.”

The young man looked mildly panicked. “I still have deliveries to make.”

“You can call your dispatcher. Let them send another driver to pick up your deliveries if you want.” Turning back to Ziva and McGee, Gibbs continued, “If this went down the same way as the other delivery, find out who it was picked up from and go question them.” 

Taking the package with him, Gibbs headed toward Abby’s lab. “Abby, there’s a gun in here. I want you to check it out. See if you can find an owner. Tell me if it was fired recently.”

Abby reached for the box and saw that the packaging was still intact. “Still sealed? Are you psychic now, Gibbs? Honestly, I always suspected.”

“No, Abs. They sent it through X-ray when it was delivered.”

Gibbs watched as Abby used a knife to carefully open the outer packaging. Once she freed the box from the brown paper wrapping, she sliced through the packing tape and gasped as she opened the box. Gibbs’ heart jumped when he looked inside.

“Gibbs, it’s covered in blood.”

“I can see that Abby. Run it, see if it’s Tony’s. See if that’s Tony’s sig.”

Leaving Abby behind, Gibbs headed out for coffee and a Caf-Pow. He hadn’t gotten far when his cell rang. “What do you have, McGee?”

“We questioned the courier driver and let him go. We’re headed over to where he picked up the package. Same as last time, one of those mailbox rental places. Different location.”

“They didn’t want to be recognized.”

“Or thought we had the other store under surveillance. This one is on the other side of town.”

“Stay on it, Tim.”

“Yes, Boss.”

By the time Gibbs returned to the lab, placing a Caf-Pow in front of Abby, she had some information for him. “What do you have, Abs?”

“This is Tony’s weapon. The chamber is empty. It has been fired recently.”

“And the blood?”

“It is Tony’s type, however, there isn’t any gunpowder residue mixed in. The blood isn’t from a gunshot wound.”

“Why would they want us to think they’d shot Tony?” Gibbs asked, staring into space as if he was thinking out loud, rather than expecting an answer.

Abby captured her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. “Maybe, they want you to think he’s been shot so you’ll stop looking for them?”

Gibbs spun around and faced Abby, searching her eyes for a moment before walking over and kissing her cheek. “Find out for sure whether or not that is Tony’s blood. Let me know,” he said as he walked from the lab.

“Gibbs? Even if it is his blood, there’s not very much. Not enough for him to be dead.”

Pausing in the doorway, Gibbs stopped and turned to face Abby. “He’s not dead, Abs.”

She nodded in agreement. “I know, Gibbs. I know.”

 

~~~END~~~  
January 21, 2010


End file.
